Mixing nozzle



: y 1946- E. o. sowERwm; JR 2,399,7 12

MIXING NOZZLE Filed May 20, 1943 I N V EN TOR. [7603 O Sayer/r024} BY I v ATTORNEY Patented May 7, 1946 lnxmc sozzra mm o. Sower'wine, .n-., Woodbury, N. 1., ensignor to Soup-Vacuum Oil Company, Incorporated, a corporation of New York a Application may 20, 1943, song No. 487,713

4 (llaims. wl. zsa-sse) This invention relates to a nozzle for mixing and ejecting colloidal solutions capable of setting to solid or semi-solid states such as gels.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the formation and ejection of colloidal solutions which set to form inorganic oxide hydrogels.

In the impending application Serial No.

. 461,454, died October 9, 1942, by Milton MQ Marisic, a process is described for forming hard, spheroidal beads of inorganic oxides by injecting solutions which will gel in a predetermined time into a liquid immiscible therewith and permitting gelation of resultant globules of the solution in the immiscible liquid. The resultant globules of hydrogel are then removed and processed to form the desired final product.

in operation of such processes, ,diiilculties arise due to gelation of small portions of the solution within the mixing nozzle forming deposits oi! gel which gradually build up. In the said Marisic application, it is proposed to avoid this dimculty by means of a rotary cleaning member within the nozzle. Deposits can also be avoided by deformation caused shall be in the wall of the mining chamber.

The objects and advantages of my invention will be further understood by consideration of preferred forms thereof described below in connection with the annexed drawing wherein:

Figure l is a diagrammatic illustration of a preferred embodiment of my invention; and

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are cross-sections through typical nozzl forms according to the invention.

Referring specifically to Figure 1, the apparatus comprises a vessel It containing a column of oil or other liquid immiscible with the sol and a layer of water below that column. Water is admitted by pipe ii to the bottom oil vessel ill and withdrawn by pipe I! to carry oil spheroidal high velocity ilow within the nomle. The first means includes a moving member within the I nozzle which occupies space and requires packing at the bearings; while high velocity how innpairs the capacity of the device to produce uniformly sized globules. I V Y I have now devised a mixing nozzle of novel structure which is self-cleaning in operation but which contains no moving parts inside the nozzle itself. These useful characteristics are achieved by forming the walls defining the nozzle chamber of a resilient material such as rubber and gel particles formed in the vessel as described below. Reactant solutions to form a sol which will gel in the time required for it to fall through the oil are admitted by pipes ill and it from metering pumps iland it to a mixing. nozzle ii. The nozzle i1 is a flexible walled tube in which the reactant solutions are rapidly and intimately mixed to form the sol. The metals may, if desired, be reinforced, as by metal rods or the like embedded therein.

The nozzle II is of a shape other than circular as shown in Figures 2, d and i, thus having at least one external crss-sectional dimension subiiil stantially'greater than another such dimension.

vabout their common Wild.

About the flexible tubular nozzle it is a member ll adapted to deform nozzle it when rotated The member it is preferably rigid, being advantageously a metal providing means to flex the resilient walls at frequent intervals or continuously. According to my invention, the resilient walled chamber has an external cross-section other than a circle, that is, at least one external cross-sectional d1 menslon is greater than one other such dimension. The iiering means is constituted by a member about the resilient chamber and co-al therewith which may be rotated about the com mon ans. The internal cross-section oi the outer member is also other than a circle and has a smallest internal cross-sectional dimension larger than the least dimension of the chemher but less than the greatest dimension of the chamber. Thus, rotation of the outer member about the chamber causes the latter to be deformed, flexing its walls and thereby breaking loose any gel which may have formed thereon.

The outer, member may also be resilient, but it is, preferred that it be Maid in order that all tube of similar cross-section to that oi nozzle il. It may, however, be lowered of horrible material. As shown in Figures 2, 3 and i the smallest internal cross-sectional dimension of the member to is greater than the smallest but less than the greatest external cross-sectional dimension of nozzle ll.

Means are provided to rotate member it about its axis. For example. a ring gear it may be secured to the member l8 and mounted on bearings II carried by a spiderllll amxed to the walls of the vessel to. A pinion t2, driven by motor 33, is provided to drive near it and thus rotate the member II with respect tonozzle ll. In this manner, any substantial amount oi solid or semi-solid gel phase iormed in the nozzle ll will be broken from the walls thereof when the latter are deformed, thus preventing accumulation of such gel in the nozzle.

In a typical operation, sodium silicate solution containing grams olui her liter is prepared by diluting N brand of sodium. silicate (28.7% S102, 8.9% mic). This solution is mixed with a second solution containing 34.10 grams mason; and 25.05 grams of H2804 per liter at the rate 011.00 volume of the former solution to 0.780 volume of the latter in mimn nozzle H. The resultant colloidal solution isjintroduced into the top of a column of gas oil or eight feet in depth. The globules of sol fall through the oil and gel before passing into the layer of water located beneath the oil. The gel in the globular form is conducted out of the bottom of the column in a stream of water and, on removal .from the water, and NHdCl solution, to remove soluble salts and replace zeolitlcally hel'd sodium ions by ammonium ions which are capable of being driven off as ammonia gas by heat. The gel is dried slowly and uniformly at 180 F. until shrinkage is substantially complete and the drying is then continued at gradually increasing temperatures up to about 1050 F. at which temperature it is maintained for two hours; The resultant product is in the-form of hard, "glassy? spheroidal pellets which have excellent properties as cracking catalyst for the conversion of gas oil and the like to gasoline.

- I claim:

1. In a nozzle for intimately mixing and ejecting colloidal solutions which set to form inorganic oxide hydrogels, the combination'of a rigid tube having internal cross-sectional dimensions dinering substantially from each other, a resilient tube having external cross-sectional dimensions difiering substantially from each other, the greatest externalsaid dimension of said resilient tube iswashed with water being less than the greatest internal said dimension of said rigid tube but greater than-the least internal said dimension of said rigid tube, said resilient tube being at least partially within said rigid tube and substantially coaxial therewith,

asaa'ria and means to rotate said rigid tube with respect to said resilient tube.

2. in a nozzle for intimately mixing and electing colloidal solutions which set to form inorganic oxide hydrogels, the combination of a resilient tube having external cross-sectional dimansions dlfiering substantially from each other,

a member about and substantially coaxial with said resilient tube having internal cross-sectional dimensions differing substantially from each other, the greatest external said dimension of said tube being less than the greatest internal said dimension of said member but greater than the least internal said dimension of said member, and means to rotate said member with respect to said tube.

substantially cp-axial with said rubber tube, the

major axis of said rubber tube being less than the major axis of said metal tube but greater than the minor axis of said metal tube, means to rotate said metal tube about the rubber tube and means to feed fluids to be mixed to said rubber tube. V

4. In a nozzle for intimately mixing and electlng colloidal. solutions which set to form inorganic oxide hydrogels, the combinationof a rubber, tube having external cross-sectional dimensions differing substantially from each other, a metal tube about and substantially co-axial with said rubber tube, the greatest external cross-sectional 'dimension or said rubber tube being less than the greatest internal cross-sectional dimension of said metal tube ternal said dimension or said metal tube and means to rotate said metal tub'e with respect to said rubber tube.

ELBERT O. SOWERWINE, JR.

but greater than the least ln- 

